RMNAAFA Participates In INDD 2000

On May 6, 2000, Rocky Mountain NAAFA participated in International No Diet Day (INDD) by joining the national organaziation's (NAFAA's) campaign to "feed the involuntarily hungry". We collected food for distribution to the hungry in Colorado. Here is a brief summary of the success of our INDD efforts.

JeanMarie and I dropped off the food to Access Housing today. JeanMarie had bought some cute, little laundry baskets to put the food in. Our contact person, Wendy, was called out of town at the last minute for a family health emergency. Bernie, another staff member at Access Housing, stepped in and helped us with the delivery of the baskets. I gave him one of the flyers Leslie had made up for us to take to the Pat Lyons lecture. JeanMarie explained why we were doing a food drive for NO Diet Day. He was very receptive.

Access Housing is a small apartment complex with 8 units. They have a secured court yard with play equipment for the children. I got there a bit early and watched several children play in the court yard there. After Bernie dropped off the food to all the apartments two of those children called out to us "Thanks for the food". It was sweet and touching.

It felt good donating these food baskets to these families. We had a good turn out of donated items. JeanMarie and Dina did a good job separating the foods into the 8 baskets. The other two baskets will be delivered this weekend or early next week. Many thanks to all of you that made this possible.

Patti

Here's my report on the food from Rocky Mountain NAAFA that you gave me to give to a needy Family:

The family I had originally intended as the recipient had recently received assistance, in the form of the mother getting a very good high-paying job, and ditto for the dad. So good for them, and I decided to find another family more in need for the food.

I gave the groceries to an elderly woman in the neighborhood named Rose who cares for her grandchildren while her children work. She is in poverty, of no income except SSI. Her children do not have the funds to pay her to babysit. She has a developmentally disabled adult son who lives with her who can't work, but contributes what he can by collecting cans and bottles for recycling.

Rose lives in an older house that she keeps neat as a pin, but it is definitely in need of every kind of major and minor repair (she cannot afford the expense). Rose he is very kind and prays a lot, always an encouraging word for everyone, never complaining about her pinched circumstances.

The day I brought her the groceries she was caring for her 4 year old granddaughter while Mom was at the hospital nursing a newborn that has been in the hospital for 6 weeks. Mom must go to the hospital every four hours to nurse the baby. You can imagine how stressful this is for the entire family.

Rose was SO HAPPY when she saw me coming up the sidewalk with the sacks. "Oh, look, here comes Jan with the groceries!" She bustled about, oh'd and ah'ed about the contents of the sacks, and insisted on fixing me lunch, chicken salad on a bagel, which was quite tasty. I think it was the situation that sharpened all of my senses. Food given and received in love is definitely healthy!

I know she needed this food to help feed her son and grandchildren, and to be hospitable when friends and family drop by. Thank you, RM NAAFA, for this gift that you enabled me to give. I hope I have conveyed to everyone how good they can feel knowing that our gifts of food fed a family who was truly hungry.

Jan Marie Belle.


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